


Low Tide for Flowers

by Garchomp445



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Post-Canon, Spoilers for Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), They don't actually get together sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:20:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28578879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garchomp445/pseuds/Garchomp445
Summary: Edelgard cannot stand the stuffiness of life as the emperor, not for every second of the day. As a slight respite, she sneaks out into the streets, and happens upon a familiar face.Written for matcha-tea-n-cuddles as part of 2020 nagasmas!
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Edelgard von Hresvelg
Kudos: 5





	Low Tide for Flowers

Edelgard didn’t enjoy these meetings. Even the advisors that she truly respected, like Byleth and Hubert couldn’t make their words any less dull. Still, it was for the good of the nation, no, the good of all of Fódlan. It was best that she did something to make the occasions memorable. Sometimes she’d bring food, gifts for participants, or rarely, a bouquet of flowers. 

Now, of course, she had royal flower arrangers, their supply full of only perfect, unblemished specimens. She had seen the Adrestian flower fields, and hadn’t been particularly impressed. They were nice to look at. No, this time, she wanted flowers with more character. Something from a local, scavenged from scraps or simply less than she’s used to. Then, of course, she would tip them tremendously.

Sneaking out of the castle wasn’t particularly difficult, she decided the patrol routes and her bodyguard’s shifts, and neither was wearing an appropriate costume. Few adrestians expected their emperor to be so short, and that was with heels. With no makeup and her hair over her eyes, she was utterly unrecognizable.

The market bustled with activity, tens of carts passed by in orderly rows while hundreds of people jostled for space in the busy storefronts. Edelgard glared idly at the horse-drawn carts, she had made it illegal to drive a cart down the main roads earlier this month. They were blatantly violating her new ordinances. She made a mental note to assign guard with a greater resistance to bribes in this area. Despite setbacks, she found a wonderfully run-down flower shop.

It was still busy, of course, but ivy had grown over the entire front facade, and some of the brick was crumbling. With its excellent location and how busy it was, any shop would have to be practically giving flowers away to be this underfunded.

The inside wasn’t nearly as dilapidated as the outside. Huge flowers line the walls, and more elegant arrays are set up for purchase. Bags of seed, dirt, it’s almost more of a farming supply store. Evidently set up for city farmers. The registers at the back were constantly dinging, all except one, where an orange-haired woman was arranging flowers. Edelgard made her way over and stood in line. She spoke cheerfully to every customer, greeting them like a friend. Her voice had a sort of nostalgic quality to it that made Edelgard think back to her days as a student at Garreg Mach. The monastery had a magnificent garden as well. She hadn’t seen any, but perhaps it had once held classes on botany? The thought rang a slightly bitter peal in Edelgard’s throat.

Edelgard arrived at the counter, and her hand was immediately taken. The lady at the counter exclaimed,

“Oh, this rosage will go perfectly with your eyes, I’ve never seen that lovely lavender before!”

“Ah, wait, how much is it?”

“And I think a yellow would go with your brown hair? There’s this beautiful barrette that I-”

Edelgard took the excitable woman’s hands and kept them away from her face for a few seconds. She smiled,

“My apologies for handling you roughly. But I must insist that we at least speak for more than one second before you attempt to rearrange my entire appearance.”

“Sorry! I just got excited, aha, but feel free to keep the barrette and rosage, they look lovely on you!”

“You haven’t attached the barrette to me yet.”

“Oh, then just lean forward a bit.”

Edelgard was equally disarmed by her incredible cheer and her equally incredible smile. However, she did know how to negotiate in tense situations, “If you give me a price for these accessories and the arrangement I came here to request, I will do so.”

“Aw, I guess so.” Edelgard leaned forward hesitantly, “See! I knew it’d look great.”

Edelgard smiled, “I suppose I must take you at your word. Now, an estimate? I’d hate to hold up the line.”

“Okay! What sort of arrangement would you like?”

Edelgard described it, and the excitable woman wrote down very professional notes. She was careful not to exchange names with her, mostly because Edelgard had forgotten to think of a fake name. The price was quite low, so Edelgard tripled it instead of doubling it like usual. She hoped that the woman wouldn’t notice it until she was out the door.

“And there you are! A gorgeous arrangement for a gorgeous person!”

“Thank you. I hope you have a pleasant day.”

Edelgard began backing up. Too slowly. The woman’s eyes went wide and she grabbed Edelgard’s hand,

“I can’t possibly take this much!”

“You didn’t tell me what the price was for the barrette, or the rosage.” Edelgard smirked.

“Ah, neither of them are that expensive, besides, I wanted to give you a gift!”

“Then think of the payment as a gift from me.”

The woman sighed, “All right, only if you insist.”

“Thank you very much for the wonderful presents and the professional arrangement.”

“Of course! Come back anytime!” There was a sudden, pained look on her face, “Oh, I don’t think I caught your name? Mine’s Annette!”

Edelgard interrupted, “Look at the time! I ought to get going.” She sprinted out the door, “Goodbye!”

“Ah.” Annette waved her goodbye.

\--

Her meeting proceeded just as planned. The flowers she brought were simple compared to the usual arrangements, but no less pretty. At the very least, no one noticed that they weren’t from the imperial gardens.

Edelgard couldn’t get that woman out of her mind. She looked familiar, sounded familiar, and that name was as well. Annette. Edelgard searched through the adrestian army records for near an hour, but had no luck. But there was of course another location she had spent nearly a year at, and left a sizable impression on her. She dusted off some old records, reclaimed from Garreg Mach monastery. 

There she was. Annette Fantine Dominic, ten years younger, but still recognizable. It was Edelgard who had changed, tearing out her crests and bringing back her natural hair colour. A member of the blue lions house, it wasn’t a surprise that Edelgard couldn’t remember her clearly. Her hands were usually full corralling her own classmates, as well as arrangements with those who slither in the dark. Perhaps she did owe an explanation, at least, to Annette. And the flowers were nice.

\--

“Ah… Welcome back!” Annette was much less cheery than before, “I take it you liked the flowers?”

“Yes, it’s a pity they wilt so quickly. I would like another arrangement, with different colours.” Edelgard sighed, “And, could I ask a small personal question?”

“Oh, sure?”

“Did you attend Garreg Mach officer’s academy ten years ago?”

“Yup! How’d you know?” Annette straightened her back, “Was it my upright, noble bearing?”

Edelgard smiled, “Of course. I also attended the academy. Would you like to catch up over tea? Unfortunately, my job doesn’t leave much availability. We’d have to meet up next month.”

Annette took her hand, “Why not right now? I haven’t taken my lunch break yet!”

“Isn’t it a bit late in the evening?” They both glanced out the window.

“Oh, yeah, I just get so caught up with the flowers that I get distracted. So, can miss busypants spare a minute right now?”

“I- uh, suppose I can.” Edelgard tugged at her skirt, “But how did you know I was wearing pants under my dress?”

“What? Oh, it’s just-” Annette laughed, “Let’s get going. Uh, but why didn’t you tell me your name earlier?”

“I’d prefer to reveal that in private.”

“Ooh, mysterious.” Annette pulled Edelgard towards the back of the shop, “Hey! Boss, I’m taking my break!” Before anyone present could respond, they slipped into the greenhouse.

Annette sprinted away with no explanation, so Edelgard was left alone in a spacious, verdant greenhouse. If she thought the front of the store had an abundance of flowers, this room was filled to the brim. Trees brushed against the glass, their branches coated in flowering vines. Multiple levels of shelving hosted a dizzying array of plants, from long grass to bountiful succulents. It smelled far more pleasant than the greenhouse of Garreg Mach, less rotting meat and more earthy, with hints of lavender and mint.

Towards the back, two wrought-iron chairs sat around a small table. Edelgard took a seat. From here, she could see every section of the greenhouse. Picturesque, it was completely understandable why Annette chose to work here despite the run-down exterior.

After a while, Annette returned with a plate of cookies and a steaming teapot. She smiled at first, then suddenly her expression changed and she stopped in place.

“You’re Edelgard, aren’t you.”

“Yes.” She nodded once, “I understand if you’d like me to leave.”

Annette’s brow furrowed, “Why would I want you to do that? I’m just surprised is all.” Her hand was shaking slightly, but she marched forward and planted her accessories onto the table. She sat down.

“I mean, the only thing that really threw me off was the hair, and the lack of bodyguards! Even at the monastery, you always had Hubert with you.” Annette smirked, “Wait, did you sneak out of the palace?”

Edelgard shifted her eyes away, and Annette immediately squealed, “You did! Oh, I’m so right!”

“Shh! Can people in the store hear us?”

“Oh, I dunno? Probably not.”

“Anyway, what brings you to Enbarr? I thought you were a member of house Dominic, up in Faerghus?”

The tea Annette brought was characteristically sweet, nearly so sugary that it ruined the flavour of the brew. And with how quickly Annette was going through the tea biscuits, she probably liked it even sweeter. Annette’s voice pealed out slightly bitter,

“Ah. Yes, things… happened, and I wanted to explore for a while instead. I haven’t been going by my last name anyway.”

“I see.” The last war in Fódlan had not been kind to Faerghus. Hopefully Annette did not bear too much resentment. “May I offer my apologies?”

“No, sorry. Things weren’t perfect even without the imperial invasion. I tried to stay out of it as best I could, but now I’d just like to move on.”

Edelgard nodded. “How did you get into botany?”

“Oh, it was already a hobby of mine! I’ve loved growing things since I was little, and arranging them isn’t too different. I just like trying out everything I can with plants and flowers.”

“That’s wonderful. You are quite talented, I received a few compliments on the arrangement you provided earlier.”

Annette furrowed her brow, “Wait, does Adrestia not have, like, royal flower arrangers? Is that why you have to come to my shop?”

“There are imperial flower specialists, yes. Very overpaid for how little work they accomplish. I prefer to spend money on my citizens, even if I have to do so secretly.”

“That’s still so funny to me, regal, lawful Edelgard sneaking out of the palace like a troubled kid to go out on dates.”

Edelgard choked on her tea, “Well! I-” She paused for a second, “Ah, that is what I’m doing, isn’t it. Well, if it’s any consolation, this is the only time I’ve gone on an actual date. Are you this friendly with all your customers?”

“No, only the cute ones!”

“Just like your flowers.” Edelgard deflected, “Another reason I adore outside arrangements in particular is that you get a different character. My imperial florists have access to the best flower supply in the land, but local florists have to accomplish the same goal with inferior goods, hiding imperfections as they work.”

Annette snorted, “You say that like it’s a big deal! Have you ever watched your, uh, ‘imperial florists’ at work? They’re probably doing the same thing too.” She walked over to a bush and waved Edelgard over, “See this flower? Even though it’s still on the vine, one of its petals is wrinkled. This one over here is slightly discoloured, and this one doesn’t have a stamen for some reason.”

They sat back down together, “It’s the same for every flower everywhere. There’s no ‘perfect’ flower, it’s what you do with them that counts.”

“I see.” Edelgard sipped her tea thoughtfully. Had she really been so blinded? Perhaps she did owe it to her florists to watch them work at least once.

“Did you dye your hair or something? Why’s it brown now?”

“Do you remember Lysithea?”

Annette narrowed her eyes, then her entire face lit up all at once, “Yes! We were study buddies for a while, she was great!” She whispered under her breath, “And also super cute. Like an angry bunny…”

Edelgard smiled, “I’m glad she left a good impression on you. Usually when I ask people about her, they glare at me, ‘Oh, that one? Horrible.’”

“No! But she’s so nice!”

“She is. We collaborated to remove each of our crests, which allowed our natural hair colours to return.”

“Huh? You wanted to remove your crest? Why would you do that?”

“It’s a long story, but the short version is that having more than one crest shortens your lifespan considerably.”

Annette blinked a bit, “What about just one crest?”

“You are under no threat, don’t worry.”

“So which two crests did you have?”

“The crest of Seiros, and the Crest of flames.”

She went quiet, staring into her tea. Her hands were shaking again, just like they had earlier. She spoke much softer than before,

“Was all of that flame emperor stuff your idea?” Annette stared intensely for a brief moment, but couldn’t maintain it. “I just… can’t connect those terrible things to the person in front of me.”

“The flamer emperor persona, yes. The death and destruction that came with it, no. I did many things to appease those who slither in the shadows. Which included acquiring two crests.”

“Who- what is that? And why would they want to stop you from living as long?”

Edelgard nodded, “Few were told the truth of what happened. It may take me some time to explain, do you mind staying with me?”

“No.” Annette smiled, “I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt was... difficult, partially because I haven't actually finished three houses yet, and I haven't yet played a route where Edelgard survives until the end. Additionally, for it to be a meet-cute, they can't have known each other beforehand, or at least Annette could not have been part of Byleth's forces that brought Edelgard to victory. I don't care how long it's been, no medieval person could forget fighting in a weird tron-styled futuristic underground bunker, or Rhea burning her allies' capital city to the ground.
> 
> sdflkjs also sorry that the "asking out" was a little contrived.  
> anyway, hope you liked it!


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